Adjustable recovery spade

ABSTRACT

A recovery spade that is adjustably coupled to a rescue vehicle to thereby maximize traction during rescue operations. The recovery spade includes an anchor blade and a hollow support member. The anchor blade includes a plurality of holes for selective connection to the support member at differing heights via a pin. The anchor blade further includes an anchor portion with teeth at one end for engaging the ground to effect the traction and coupling holes at the other end for selective connection to the anchor blade at differing angles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to rescue and rescue vehicles and, moreparticularly, to a recovery spade for maintaining the vehicle in astationary position during rescue and recovery operations.

During the course of normal activities, drivers often encounter hazardsthat often result in vehicular misfortunes. Such misfortunes ofteninvolve one or more vehicles being directed off a public and/or privateroad into a trench or furrow (i.e., a ditch). Once in the trench, thevehicle becomes trapped and is unable to escape on its own. Normally, arescue vehicle must be provided to retrieve the trapped vehicle. Rescuevehicles are known by various other names, including “wrecker” rescuevehicle, towing vehicle, tow truck, etc.

Rescue vehicles are commonly fitted with a crane member (or boom) thatincludes a winch and associated cable. The cable is secured to thetrapped vehicle and the winch is activated to pull the trapped vehicleout of the trench. Accordingly, the winch and associated cable define alongitudinal rescue line. Rescue vehicles require a substantial amountof tractive power in order to accomplish their task. Supportingstifflegs, or recovery spades, are commonly provided at the rear of therescue vehicle to engage the ground and increase the tractive power ofthe rescue vehicle. In order to maximize tractive power, the rescuevehicle should be oriented such that the longitudinal rescue line isparallel to the damaged vehicle. There are times, however, when suchalignment is not practical because, for example, the rear wheels of therescue vehicle would be positioned on compromising surfaces. There arealso times when the rescue vehicle should preferably be aligned with (orpositioned on) the road.

Recovery spades must be oriented transversely (i.e., perpendicular) tothe longitudinal rescue line in order to maximize traction of the rescuevehicle. In situations where it is not practical, or feasible, to alignthe rescue vehicle with the longitudinal rescue line, conventionalrecovery spades cannot be oriented transversely to the longitudinalrescue line. Consequently, the maximum tractive power realizable by therescue vehicle cannot be achieved. Rescue vehicles are often alignedwith the longitudinal rescue line regardless of the environmentalconditions in order to circumvent this shortcoming. Such attempts,however, place the rescue vehicle in a situation where it can slide andsuffer the same fate as the trapped vehicle.

Various arrangements have been proposed for improving the tractive powerof rescue vehicles and the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,557issued to Cline discloses a wrecker, or hoisting apparatus, thatincludes means for stabilizing and preventing side slip while a servicecable is used to pull a disabled automobile back onto a highway.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,037 issued to Newman discloses an apparatus fortowing road vehicles that includes a pair of sprag-ended rods capable ofengaging the ground to restrain the apparatus against movement duringtowing activities.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,458 issued to Shumaker discloses a vehiclestabilizer that consists of a pair of telescoping members, one of whichincludes a ground engaging foot. The stabilizer includes latch meansbetween the telescoping member and the foot for holding the foot in anumber of rotated positions relative to the telescoping member.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,855 issued to Larson discloses a vehicle stabilizerthat includes a hydraulic cylinder pivotably mounted on each side of thevehicle. The stabilizer includes an extension rod that causes a tensionmember to rotate the cylinder about its pivot.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,660 issued to Watson discloses a recovery and towingvehicle designed to transport a freighter aircraft. The towing vehicleincludes a pair of spades mounted in slideways. The spades are capableof being moved to engage the ground.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,852 issued to Mjoberg discloses a recovery vehicledevice that includes a pair of lowerable supporting stifflegs that arecapable of engaging the ground.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,443 issued to Skoff discloses a supporting devicefor a rescue vehicle that includes two legs, each of which has a footingplate located near a lateral vehicle edge of the vehicle. The legs arecapable of being swiveled from a transportation position to a supportingposition.

Accordingly, there is a need for a recovery spade capable of maximizingtractive power of a rescue vehicle regardless of its orientationrelative to a trapped vehicle. There also exists a need for a recoveryspade that can be adjusted such that it is substantially transverse witha longitudinal rescue line, regardless of the orientation of the rescuevehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An advantage of the present invention is a recovery spade that maximizestractive power of a rescue vehicle.

Another advantage of the present invention is a recovery spade that canbe adjusted such that tractive force on the rescue vehicle is improvedregardless of it's orientation relative to a trapped vehicle.

These advantages are achieved by the present invention wherein arecovery spade that can be adjusted such that it is transverse to alongitudinal recovery line between the rescue vehicle and the trappedvehicle.

According to one aspect of the invention, a recovery spade comprises: asupport member having a hollow interior; an anchor blade slidablycoupled to the support member, and a locking arrangement for securingthe anchor blade to the support member. The anchor blade includes aplurality of teeth for engaging a surface, and is configured forplacement in one or more orientations relative to the support member.According to such an arrangement, the recovery spade is capable ofproviding maximum tractive power to a rescue vehicle during a recoveryoperation. Moreover, this is accomplished irrespective of the rescuevehicle's orientation relative to a trapped vehicle.

Additional advantages and novel features of the present invention willbe set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of thefollowing, or may be learned by practice of the present invention. Theembodiments shown and described provide an illustration of the best modecontemplated for carrying out the present invention. The invention iscapable of modifications in various obvious respects, all withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, the drawingsand description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not asrestrictive. The advantages of the present invention may be realized andattained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental view illustrating a rescue vehicle thatincorporates a recovery spade constructed in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view illustrating a recovery spade in afirst orientation;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the recovery spade illustrated inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view illustrating the recovery spade in asecond orientation;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view illustrating the recovery spade in athird orientation;

FIG. 6A is a side elevational view of the recovery spade;

FIG. 6B is a sectional view taken along section A—A of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a top plan view of a support member of the recovery spade;

FIG. 7B is a front elevational view of the support member;

FIG. 7C is a side elevational view of the support member;

FIG. 8A is a top plan view of the anchor blade used in the recoveryspade;

FIG. 8B is a side elevational view of the anchor blade;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a locking arrangement constructedin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a locking pin for use with thelocking arrangement;

FIG. 11A is a front elevational view of a support member configured tobe secured to a rescue vehicle;

FIG. 11B is a side elevational view of the support member illustrated inFIG. 11A; and

FIG. 11C is a bottom plan view of the support member illustrated in FIG.11A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention enables configuration of rescue vehicles that arecapable of performing rescue operations on trapped vehicles while beingpositioned in the most stable position available. Hence, the rescuevehicle does not need to be repositioned based on the location of thetrapped vehicle. Rather, the rescue vehicle is positioned in the mostsuitable location available and the recovery spades are oriented suchthat maximum traction is generated during the recovery operation. FIGS.1–5 illustrate various configurations of the combination of the recoveryspade of the present invention with a rescue vehicle. It should be notedthat although one recovery spade is shown coupled to the rescue vehicle,a plurality of recovery spades can be used. It is preferred that atleast two be used (one on each side of the rescue vehicle).

Turning to FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, one exemplary embodiment of the recoveryspade 10 of the present invention will be discussed. FIG. 6 aillustrates a side view of the recovery spade 10 with a suitable couplerstructure 12 adapted to couple the recovery spade 10 to the rescuevehicle (not shown in FIG. 6 a). The recovery spade 10 of the presentinvention includes generally a support member 100, an anchor blade 200,and a locking mechanism 300. The support member 100 is of rigidconstruction and has a hollow interior. The support member 100 ispreferably constructed of high strength metals or metal alloys, such asiron and steel. Additionally, the metal can be treated using specializedprocessing, such as heat treatment or other methodologies, in order tofurther improve its properties. The support member 100 can also beformed from non-metallic materials such as composites and fiberreinforced composites. Although the support member 100 is illustrated ashaving a rectangular cross-section, it should be noted that variousother configurations (i.e., circular, elliptic, etc.) could be used. Thesupport member 100 is constructed such that it can be secured to therear portion of a rescue vehicle via coupler structure 12. This can beaccomplished using various fastening methods such as, for example,bolts, rivets, welding, etc.

The anchor blade 200 includes an anchor portion 202 and a guide portion204. Similar to the support member 100, the anchor blade 200 is rigidlyformed from high strength materials such as metals, metallic alloys, orcomposites. The guide portion 204 has an outer periphery that is similarto the inner periphery of the support member 100 in order to facilitatesliding movement within the support member 100. Alternatively, it isalso possible to configure guide portion 204 so that it slides on theexternal surface of support member 100. In addition, the guide portion204 of the anchor blade 200 can have a hollow interior in order toreduce weight. In most instances, however, the guide portion 204 can beof solid construction in order to maximize strength.

The anchor portion 202 has a generally flat configuration that defines afriction surface. The anchor portion 202 can include a taperedcross-section that allows the anchor blade 200 to penetrate a groundsurface and generate a tractive (i.e., or frictional) force thatprevents the rescue vehicle from moving during a rescue operation. Moreparticularly, the anchor blade 200 is designed such that the frictionsurface is positionable transversely (i.e., perpendicularly) withrespect to a longitudinal rescue line. As previously stated, thelongitudinal rescue line can be defined as being substantially parallelto the cable interconnecting the winch of the rescue vehicle and thetrapped vehicle. The closer to transverse the friction surface can bepositioned relative to the longitudinal rescue line, the greater thetractive force generated. Hence, the rescue vehicle will be more stablewhile performing rescue operations.

As shown in FIG. 6 b, the anchor portion 202 can include a plurality ofteeth 206 formed at the end thereof. The teeth 206 function to furtherimprove penetration of the anchor blade 200 into the ground duringrecovery operations. In addition, the teeth 206 can be designed to havevarious profiles such as conical, pyramidal, etc. Such configurationscan improve the effectiveness of the recovery spade 10 in penetratingthe ground to generate tractive (or frictional) force during rescueoperations.

Turning to FIGS. 7 a through 7 c, the anchor blade 200 will be discussedin further detail. As shown in FIG. 7 a, the guide portion 204 of theanchor blade 200 includes a plurality of holes 208 extending through afront face thereof. These holes 208 are configured to be in registrywith a corresponding hole of the support member 100 so that a firstlocking pin (not shown in FIG. 7) can lock the anchor blade 200 to adesired height by being inserted through the hole of the support member100 and a selected one of the plurality of holes 208. The guide portion204 includes a handle 210 which is gripped by the operator to help liftor lower the guide portion 204 for sliding movement within the supportmember 100. As shown in FIG. 7 b, the guide portion 204 further includesholes 212 on a side face thereof. These holes 212 are configured to bein registry with a corresponding hole of the anchor portion 202 so thata second locking pin (not shown in FIG. 7) can lock the anchor portion202 to a desired angle by being inserted through a selected hole 212 anda respective hole of the anchor portion 202.

Turning to FIGS. 8 a and 8 b, the anchor portion 202 will be discussedin further detail. As shown in FIG. 8 a, the anchor portion 202 includesa plurality of holes 214 extending therethrough at two different heightsand various positions around the periphery of the anchor portion 202. Inthe exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 8 a, the holes 214 are positionedat equally spaced 45 degree intervals with respect to each other.However, it should be appreciated that intervals of any desired angle(e.g., 30 degrees, etc.) can be used. In addition, the intervals betweenholes 214 need not be equally spaced and moreover, can be positioned atany number of respective heights. In sum, the holes 214 can be designedat any relative spacing in order to set forth desired positioning of theanchor portion 202. As shown in FIG. 8 b, the anchor portion 202includes a handle 202′ whose functionality will be discussed below.

Turning to FIG. 9, the locking mechanism 300 will be discussed infurther detail. The locking mechanism 300 includes a locking pin 302slidably fitted within a lock housing 304. The locking pin 302 includesa plunger 302′ which is coupled to a handle 302″ (e.g., via rivet 14)configured to be gripped by the operator. Within lock housing 304 is abiasing spring 306. Biasing spring 306 engages a shoulder of the plunger302′ at one end and an inner surface of the lock housing 304 at anotherend, and is configured to bias locking pin 302 into a locking position(leftward as viewed in FIG. 9). As shown in FIG. 9, the plunger 302′extends through hole 102 of the support member 100 and the selected hole208 of the guide portion 204 to thereby lock the anchor blade 200 to thesupport member 100 at a desired height.

When an operator desires to change the height of the anchor blade 200,he/she will grip the handle 210 with one hand and grip the handle 302″with the other hand, and thereafter pull the plunger 302′ out of therespective holes 208, 102 against the bias of spring 306. The operatorcan then lift or lower guide portion 204 to a desired height bypositioning another hole 208 of guide portion 204 in registry with hole102, and then releasing handle 302″ so that biasing spring 306 forcesthe plunger 302′ back into a locking position. If a desired height isonly one hole 208 apart from the currently used hole 208, after removingthe plunger 302′ from the locking position and moving the guide portion204, the operator can let go of handle 302″ and continue lifting orlowering the guide portion 204 until the biasing spring 306automatically forces the plunger 302′ back into the locking position.

With reference to FIGS. 6 a, 6 b, 8 a, and 10, the manner in which therecovery spade 10 is adjusted to a desired angle will now be discussed.As shown in FIG. 10, the locking mechanism 300 further includes a pin382, a linkage 384 (e.g., chain link; but suitable alternatives include,but not limited to, a wire, thread, etc.), a locking ring 386, and arivet 388. FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate the recovery spade 10 in thenormal angle with respect to the rescue vehicle (see, for example, FIGS.1 and 5). Once the anchor portion 202 is locked to the support member100 at a desired height, the operator can then adjust the anchor portion202 by rotating it relative to the guide portion 204.

In order to effect the adjustment, the operator must first remove pin382, which extends through one of the selected holes 212 of guideportion 204 and the selected holes 214 of the anchor portion 202. Pin382 extends through the respective holes and extends out on the oppositeside of the anchor portion 202. There, pin 382 is inserted throughlocking ring 386, which meets pin 382 outside of guide portion 204 onthe opposite side via linkage 384, so that rivet 388 (e.g., threadedbolt) can extend through hole 382′ of pin 382; thereby locking pin 382to guide portion 204 and anchor portion 202. In order to remove pin 382,the operator needs to simply unthread rivet 388 from hole 382′ and pullpin 382 out. While doing so, the operator will be holding the handle202′ so that when the pin 382 is removed, the operator can rotate and/orlift/lower anchor portion 202 relative to guide portion 204 so that thedesired holes 214 of the anchor portion 202 are in registry with thedesired holes 212 of the guide portion 204. Thereafter, the operatorre-inserts the pin 382 through the respective holes to lock anchorportion 202 to guide portion 204 in the desired orientation.

Accordingly, it is readily apparent that the anchor blade 202 of thepresent recovery spade 10 can be rotated and locked such that thefriction face is oriented at varying heights and angular displacements.For example, consider a longitudinal rescue line that is coincident witha centerline of the rescue vehicle. Turning to FIGS. 1–5, whichillustrate exemplary embodiments, the anchor blade 200 of the presentinvention can be advantageously rotated such that the friction faceforms a 45 degree, 90 degree, 135 degree, or 180 degree angle with thelongitudinal rescue line. Such an ability allows the rescue vehicle tobe positioned at the most structurally stable location available toperform the rescue operation, while the anchor blade(s) 200 are rotatedto a position that will provide maximum tractive force. Specifically,the winch cable is dispensed and attached to the trapped vehicle. Onceattached, a longitudinal rescue line can be determined. The anchorblade(s) 200 are then rotated such that the friction face is as close totransverse (or perpendicular) as possible relative to the longitudinalrescue line. Accordingly, a maximum amount of tractive force can begenerated by the rescue vehicle during the rescue operation withoutcompromising stability of the rescue vehicle.

In order to maximize effectiveness of the recovery spade 10 of thepresent invention, the anchor blade 200 must be sufficiently insertedinto the ground. According to one embodiment of the invention, therecovery spade 10 is secured to the rescue vehicle using an underliftassembly. During recovery operations, the underlift is lowered towardthe ground. As this operation continues, the rear of the rescue vehicleis eventually lifted off the ground. The anchor blade 200 is thenpositioned in the appropriate orientation and lowered until contact ismade with the ground. The locking pin is then inserted through thelocking apertures of the support member 100 to secure the anchor blade200. The underlift is raised in order to lower the rear of the rescuevehicle. As the rear of the rescue vehicle is lowered, the anchor blade200 is simultaneously forced to penetrate the ground.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a hydraulic unit isprovided to lower the anchor blade 200. This can be accomplished, forexample, by attaching a hydraulically actuated cylinder to theunderlift. The recovery spade 10 is secured to the underlift such thatthe anchor blade 200 can be operatively coupled to the moving end of thecylinder once appropriately oriented. The hydraulic cylinder is actuatedto lower the anchor blade 200 and penetrate the ground until sufficientdepth is achieved.

As may be apparent from the above description, the depth at which theanchor blade penetrates the ground greatly effects the stability of therescue vehicle during the recovery operation. The surfacecharacteristics of the terrain (i.e., soil, concrete, asphalt) will alsoeffect penetration. For example, hard surfaces such as concrete orasphalt will not facilitate penetration by the anchor blade, whilesofter surfaces such as soil readily facilitate penetration.Accordingly, the rescue vehicle is preferably positioned on soft terrainduring recovery operations so that the anchor blades can sufficientlypenetrate the ground to provide maximum stability.

Only the preferred embodiments of the invention and but a few examplesof its versatility are shown and described in the present disclosure. Itis to be understood that the invention is capable of use in variousother combinations and environments and is capable of changes ormodifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressedherein.

While this invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to thedisclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to covervarious modifications and equivalent arrangements included within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A recovery spade for a rescue vehicle having a winch and cabledefining a longitudinal rescue line, the recovery spade comprising: asupport member secured to the vehicle and having a longitudinal axis; ananchor blade coupled to the support member and comprising: a guideportion translatable relative to the support member and defining a firsthole; and an anchor portion rotatable about an axis that issubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the anchor portiondefining a second hole and a third hole configured to be in selectiveregistry with the first hole, the third hole being angularly offset fromthe second hole around a periphery of the anchor portion; and a firstlocking mechanism for securing the anchor portion to the guide portionby engaging the first hole and one of the second hole and the third holedepending on a desired orientation of the anchor blade, wherein theanchor portion is rotatable about the axis that is substantiallyparallel with the longitudinal axis of the support member while engagingwith the guide portion.
 2. The recovery spade of claim 1, wherein thethird hole is provided at a first height on the periphery of the anchorportion and the second hole is provided at a second height on theperiphery of the anchor portion, the first height being different thanthe second height.
 3. The recovery spade of claim 1, wherein the firstlocking mechanism includes pin configured to be inserted through thefirst hole of the guide portion and one of the second hole and the thirdhole in the anchor portion to lock the anchor portion to the guideportion at the desired orientation.
 4. The recovery spade of claim 1,wherein the anchor portion includes a plurality of teeth adapted forengaging such a surface.
 5. The recovery spade of claim 1, wherein theguide portion includes a first handle for lifting the guide portionrelative to the support member and the anchor portion includes a secondhandle for rotating the anchor portion relative to the guide portion. 6.The recovery spade of claim 1, wherein the support member includes ahollow interior, the anchor blade disposed at least partially within thehollow interior for sliding therein.
 7. The recovery spade of claim 2,wherein the anchor portion defines a plurality of holes at the firstheight and a plurality of holes at the second height, wherein theplurality of holes at the first height are angularly offset from theplurality holes at the second height, all of the plurality of holesbeing configured to be in selective registry with the first hole definedby the guide portion.
 8. The recovery spade of claim 4, wherein theplurality of teeth are provided along a lower edge of a relatively flatfriction surface that is selectively movable to a position that issubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal rescue line by rotatingthe anchor portion.
 9. The recovery spade of claim 6, wherein thesupport member includes an opening extending through a face thereof andconfigured to receive a second locking mechanism, wherein the guideportion of the anchor blade includes a plurality of vertically-offsetheight adjustment openings configured to be in selective registry withthe opening in the support member and receive the second lockingmechanism.
 10. The recovery spade of claim 7, wherein the plurality ofholes at the first height and plurality of holes at the second heightare positioned at equally spaced intervals around the periphery of theanchor portion relative to each other.
 11. The recovery spade of claim9, wherein the second locking mechanism is a plunger including a housingcoupled to the support member and a spring located at least partiallywithin the housing, the spring biasing the plunger toward the supportmember, wherein the plunger is adapted to be manually manipulatedagainst the bias of the spring.
 12. A recovery spade for stabilizing avehicle utilizing a cable defining a longitudinal rescue line, therecovery spade comprising: a guide portion having a longitudinal axis;and an anchor portion supported at the guide portion and rotatable aboutan axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the guideportion while remaining supported at the guide portion, the anchorportion comprising a relatively flat friction surface having a pluralityof teeth along a lower edge, the friction surface is configured topenetrate a ground surface for generating a tractive force, wherein thefriction surface is configured to be selectively arranged in a desiredorientation depending on the position of the longitudinal rescue line.13. The recovery spade of claim 12, wherein the friction surface isconfigured to be selectively arranged in an orientation that issubstantially traverse to the longitudinal rescue line.
 14. The recoveryspade of claim 12, wherein the anchor portion is configured fortranslational movement relative to the guide portion.
 15. The recoveryspade of claim 12, wherein the guide portion includes at least one holeextending through a face thereof, the anchor portion includes aplurality of holes positioned about a periphery of the anchor portionadapted to be positioned in registry with the at least one hole of theguide portion.
 16. The recovery spade of claim 12, further comprising alocking mechanism for selectively securing the anchor portion relativeto the guide portion when the friction surface is in the desiredorientation.
 17. The recovery spade of claim 14, wherein the guideportion is configured for translational movement relative to a supportmember coupled to the vehicle.
 18. The recovery spade of claim 15,wherein the plurality of holes of the anchor portion are angularlyoffset from each other around the periphery of the anchor portion. 19.The recovery spade of claim 18, wherein the guide portion includes ahollow interior, the anchor portion disposed at least partially withinthe hollow interior for rotational and translational movement therein.20. The recovery spade of claim 18, wherein the plurality of holes ofthe anchor portion are provided at more than one height about theperiphery of the anchor portion.
 21. A recovery spade for stabilizing avehicle utilizing a cable defining a longitudinal rescue line, therecovery spade comprising: a guide portion having a longitudinal axisand defining a first hole; and an anchor portion supported at the guideportion and rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the guide portion, the anchor portion including afriction surface configured to penetrate a ground surface for generatinga tractive force, the anchor portion defining a second hole and a thirdhole configured to be in selective registry with the first hole, thethird hole being angularly offset from the second hole around theperiphery of the anchor portion, wherein the friction surface ismoveable to a desired orientation by rotating the anchor portionrelative to the guide portion and aligning one of the second hole andthe third hole with the first hole.
 22. The recovery spade of claim 21,wherein the third hole is provided at a first height and the second holeis provided at a second height, the first height being different thanthe second height.
 23. The recovery spade of claim 22, wherein the thirdhole is angularly offset from the second hole between around 30 degreesand around 45 degrees.
 24. The recovery spade of claim 22, wherein theanchor portion defines a plurality of holes at the first height and aplurality of holes at the second height.
 25. The recovery spade of claim21, further comprising a first handle coupled to the guide portion forlifting the guide portion relative to the vehicle and a second handlecoupled to the anchor portion for rotating the anchor portion relativeto the guide portion.